Use of computer conferencing to allow view box-style teaching sessions with residents at outlying hospitals

Health care reform is placing new pressures on radiology faculty members to use their time more efficiently. We implemented a computer conferencing technique that allows one faculty member to perform a simultaneous view box-style teaching session with residents at local and outlying hospitals.

The system simultaneously displays digital images on computer screens at the local and outlying hospitals; an on-screen pen allows the instructor or the participants to point to findings on the images. Audio is provided either by a telephone conference call using speakerphones or over the wide-area network using microphones and speakers built into the computers.

The technique has been in use for 1 year. A survey of the faculty and residents indicate that computer conferencing is equivalent to traditional face-to-face teaching sessions at the view box.

Computer conferencing is possible and accepted. The technique is low-cost, using generic computers that are part of the picture archiving and communication system at both hospitals, and relatively inexpensive conferencing software.